The Dolphins have “deleted” the 2018 season in newly-acquired defensive end William Hayes‘ contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He is now scheduled to become a free agent next offseason. In exchange for this concession, Hayes has agreed to trim $750K from his 2017 salary (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald).

Late last week, the Dolphins acquired Hayes in a trade with the Rams which saw Miami give up a sixth-round pick and get back a seventh-round selection. It was a great trade for the Dolphins as they got a quality player in exchange for moving down 17 spots late in the draft.

Hayes signed a three year, $17.5MM contract with the Rams last offseason which called for him to carry a $5.5MM cap number in 2017 and a $5MM number in 2018. Given the way pass rushers have been getting paid as of late, Hayes could stand to profit from the alteration this time next year.

Hayes, 32 this spring, appeared in 14 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and racked up five sacks and 43 total tackles. Since joining the Rams in 2012, he has never had less than four sacks per season and has averaged five sacks per campaign. Last year, he was Pro Football Focus’ No. 17 edge defender in the NFL, thanks largely to his favorable run defense grade. He was ranked higher than a lot of big names, including Nick Perry, Bruce Irvin, Ryan Kerrigan, and Tamba Hali.